Quest for the Dark Emeralds
by Darkflow
Summary: It's year 5,000. The solar system is war-torn, and the only way to stop it is to go back in time and take the materials that the Overlanders acquired for their weapons to put a stop to the war. At least, that's the plan. But, when the plan doesn't go as predicted, and an innocent is put into the picture, will the inventor risk everything in this gamble? Or will he stay in the past?
1. I've Got a Mission

_It all started with a weapon. A weapon that was meant to grip the world with an iron fist and rule everyone out of fear. yes, that was the purpose of this weapon. Yet, how could such a weapon do all of that? What blade, what gun, what bomb, what poison, could possibly chain the free-willed and stubborn spirit that is life? More life. As they say, fight fire with fire. Or at least, that was the plan. What plan, you may ask? Well, perhaps it would be better to start at the beginning..._

* * *

It was year 5,000... I think. At this point, I'd lost track of the time. Then again, time had always slipped away from me, so I'm not surprised.  
I glanced out of the window. Who knew that we still had glass in our windows, after all this time? I mean, yes, it was laced with microscopic protection triggers, but to the naked eye, it looked like glass. The same glass made almost two thousand years ago.  
I peered down, to the roadways down below. Hover cars zipped past, seeming to be in a rush to get nowhere. Little did I know, I was in the same boat.  
I looked back at my notes on my desk- virtual pieces of paper on a holographic computer touch screen. It didn't feel right to me. it felt.. fake. I'd only ever seen a piece of paper but once or twice. I hear that the primitive stationary had been made with trees, which i found to be ridiculous; Only a small handful of trees existed- to supply oxygen. Not to make paper.  
Shaking these thoughts aside, I finished up the last paragraph of my report. It was a report to the head of the government itself- a nameless, faceless Mobian. If I could get the grant from him, well, then I could get my name and my brilliance spread all over the world. Amber City would be the nation's capital, and I would be looked up to- I would be the smartest Mobian in the world. That is what I wished to achieve personally for myself.

"Professor Tunga, you have a conference waiting in cell 11292- Shall I notify them that you are indeed coming?" Came a voice from behind me. My partner Regalia. He was also my best friend; we were practically brothers- or, at least, that's how I felt. I was certain that he felt that way, too.  
"No. Tell them I've cancelled, please." I replied. Regalia chuckled, "Still working on that report about the project, huh?" He asked, to which I nodded. "This could finally be the turning point for us, Regalia- just think, we'd be able to spread our technology all over the planet!" I exclaimed, swiveling my chair around to face the windows. "Isn't it a beautiful future lying ahead of us, Reg?" I asked.  
"...Yes- So long as I receive the power that I so rightfully deserve, and the military command position you promised me." He said.  
"Of course, of course- I haven't forgotten about our deal, Reg." I assured him, to which he responded, "Let's hope so, Tunga." he said, before walking out. Regalia hadn't ever exactly been the most talkative of Mobians, that was for sure.  
Once I proofread my report, I sent it to the government filing system, marked as a priority 3 document, hoping this would bump it up so I could get a reply sooner- I was just so impatient for this.  
"_Your document has been sent._" Came the cool, female disembodied voice of the holo-computer.  
I thought over what I had just done. I'd created the first, fully functional time machine. Something that scientists and technicians had been trying to accomplish for decades upon decades. I had high hopes for this, even if a small part of me had doubts that this was a good idea.  
You see, the whole reason why I- we, the entire government force, need this time machine, is to go back in time to create a weapon using energy clusters that existed freely during a certain time period. We need them so badly because our enemies had gotten ahold of the last clusters centuries ago.  
our plan was to go back in time and take them all before they get a chance to take it.  
It's our most risky plan during this entire, thousand-year-long war against the Overlanders. We would take the deadly energy clusters to drastically amplify our technology, making it so they will not be able to destroy our world. That is my goal, my mission- to save Mobians, and put a stop to the warlike Overlanders.  
I kept mentally fingering these thoughts in my mind, picking each one apart, analyzing it, and putting it back together again. My mind was a constant whir of thoughts and data, so vast that I needed to have an organelle computer chip surgically installed just to remember, think, and process everything.  
I then stretched, preparing to get up for coffee. Just as I was about to go on my break, however, I heard a knock on the door- it was the boss- well, the boss of the technology department, at least. "Hello, Tunga? May I have a word?" He said, and then proceeded to walk in without waiting for a reply, sitting in the chair across from my desk. I decided to sit back down, swiveling to face him. He smiled at me, but it was a smile I couldn't understand. Well, understanding emotion was beyond me anyways.  
"So. You're going to brave the unknown and travel to the past. We're all so proud to have such a briliant scientist in our ranks. But... That's a big responsibility. Sure you can handle it?" he asked me.  
I knew he was testing me for my reactions, so I kept my cool despite his arrogant tone. "Of course." I replied, "It's my duty, and I am determined to fulfill it, at any cost." I assured him.  
The Boss just grinned at me, "Are you sure you have the resolve?" He asked me, to which I nodded.  
"Good." he said, getting up. "because you're going to need it." he told me. As he began to walk out, he turned to face me once more. "Also, you leave tomorrow at noon. So be sure to be ready. Tardiness is unacceptable." he informed me, but all I gave him was a, "Yes sir," Because, well, i didn't really feel like saying much to him.  
With a nod, he left the room, and it was in that moment that it hit me; I was going to change the past to save the present. I was creating a hope for the future, a new dawn for this war-torn galaxy- and I most likely wouldn't be there to see it.


	2. Departure

I packed my bags- not much, just some clothes, food and a first-aid kit. That's it- all I was allowed to bring. No holo-photos, no hoverboots, not even my hi-tech glasses. Only the bare necessities. Besides, it wasn't like I was going to stay there long, according to plan. Just for a few months, really. My only mission was to gather the weapon materials and then leave.

However, that was much easier said than done. I wouldn't know what to expect once I arrived- I could find myself in the midst of savages or criminals, or worse yet, i could land in the middle of the past's primitive civilization and scare hundreds of denizens. Though the chance of arriving near other Mobians was slim, it wasn't impossible. All i could do was just hope _that_ didn't happen.

Setting my bag down on my desk, I leaned over the controls to the time machine slightly, peering over the glowing blue keyboard. The holographic screen quietly hummed in front of me, occasionally flickering. I sighed, then punched in the date I wished to travel, trying to ignore the fear that made a knot in my stomach. This would be my most difficult operation I'd ever executed. I wasn't ready for this. In fact, I would probably never be ready for this. Yet, I knew that this was my duty. I'd spent years conducting research on this. Dedicated and sacrificed all I had- my social life, my hobbies, everything. Because I knew that this was important. Amber city needed me. Mobius needed me.

Steeling my nerves, I went to step into the machine, her open glass doors and metal walls being the only comfort I had- I'd spent a long time on this machine, and she was familiar to me. Taking a deep breath, I was about to step in when I heard a voice call my name.

"Tunga!" It was Regalia. "Tunga, wait!" He said, rushing in. I turned to face him, wondering what it was that he wanted. "Regalia? What is it?" I asked- hopefully he wasn't about to give me a run-down of the rules... _again_. I was on a tight leave schedule.

Regalia smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "..Good luck out there. You'll need it." He said. "..We're all counting on you to pull through." I nodded, before stepping into the machine. I wasn't big on goodbyes. They were too painful. besides, if I lingered to long, I was likely to get cold feet. Scientists aren't _exactly_ known for being brave.

With a heavy heart, I typed in the coordinates and other information as the machine hummed and whirred. I bit my lower lip. This was it. One press of a button, and I'd begin the biggest thing I've ever started. I took a deep breath. Then, I pressed the start button. It was too late to go now; I had sealed my fate.

I could see Regalia waving sadly at me in the split second before I warped away- back into time and space. I was going to really miss him. he was clever and quick-witted, often missing the things that I missed. I wished he could come with me, but Regalia had a family to take care of. I didn't have the heart to pull him away. Besides, I knew what I was doing... To a degree. Despite being able to travel through time, I couldn't predict the future.. Or, was it the past? It didn't matter much either way.

I looked around before deciding to sit in the small, yet comfortable, chair. It was the only adornment aside from the holo-computers, keyboards, and the time-space radar. The radar would let out the occasional beep as we passed close to bits of Z-Space. Not particularly concerning. I sighed. "So, looks like I won't be seeing home for quite a while.." I murmured, despite no-one being there. "Computer, calculate the time until our arrival." I spoke up.

"_Fourteen minutes, and thirty-nine seconds._" Came the disembodied voice.

I quietly marveled at this; It was such an amazing thing to think about. Time travel back two thousand years would only take fifteen minutes. Incredible. It was almost hard to believe that _I_ had created this machine...

For the rest of the ride, which was smoother than silk I might add, I closed my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. I had absolutely no idea what would be awaiting my on the other side of the machine's doors once I arrived. I'd be thrusted into the unknown. I still wasn't ready.

Finally, once the time machine arrived, the doors slid open and I stepped out, my satchel in hand.

Ad as soon as I looked around, my jaw dropped. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but trees- trees! I couldn't believe my eyes. I'd never seen so many trees before. In fact, I'd never even seen one up close before. I walked up to the nearest one, running my hand along the rough brown bark. "Beautiful." I said. "Truly beautiful."

I took a deep breath, savouring it. The air was clean and pure, unlike the smog-filled air of the war-torn future. It was a true shame that that the future wasn't as beautiful as the past. It made my heart ache with a sort of longing- so this was nature...

"Truly amazing..." I said to myself, smiling. Surely if the past was this peaceful, then I'd have nothing to worry about- in theory, at least. I knew deep inside that this time period was riddled with dangers that I could only hope to avoid.

With a little confidence in my steps, I walked quickly in what I figured was the best direction. I was headed for civilization. I was going to save the future.


End file.
